You have had such wonderful opportunities in your life, and you are incredibly lucky. I am sure that all you have done will contribute greatly to your chosen career path in education. Most of my questions have to do with the YES program that you were apart of. You mentioned that you were tutoring, but what exactly does a program like that entail? How do you think being apart of the YES program will shape you as a teacher in the future?
In the program I had my own classroom, so classroom management was a must. I was constantly writing reports on my students, writing passes for them to go get the help they needed if I couldn't do it and I always had to come up with things to teach them in case they didn't have homework that day in school. It was so draining to have to do it all by myself and have to figure it all out, I constantly worked with our ed coordinator on ideas to keep my students occupied.
Hey, Abbey! I was in the YES! Program too! I know how challenging and rewarding it can be. One of my questions is, did you teach anything besides English at the YES! Program? The reason I ask this is because I know that there is such a huge demand for other subject tutors, especially Math tutors, in that program. Also, since your mom is from Wyoming and your dad is from Minnesota, what were typical meals for your family? I can relate to you a lot because although I grew up in the south for most of my life, my mom is from Wyoming and my dad is from Hawaii, so we got quite a mix of culture too! Not that I don't love my sweet tea and peaches!
I actually taught all subjects. I was in a world history class tutoring for about four months and this past semester I was in science. I had English my first year and I usually help kid's with simple math questions, nothing too complicated. And a typical meal growing up would be chicken, pork chop or steak grilled served with a canned vegetable, a carb and salad. Always had a carb haha, two if we didn't have salad on the side.
Hey there pretty lady! Although I consider us pals already, it was nice to learn a little bit more about you. I always love hearing about Spain--and Baby Jack even though you didn't mention him in your bio. I am curious about your minor. I knew that you were doing something in business, but I did not know how it connected to your future. I remember you talking about wanting to be a school principal. Do you think that is something you will definitely pursue later on?
Hey beaut, I do still plan on pursuing a job as an elementary principal but I don't know if I really want to go back to school! Go figure ha. I would also love to use my business admin minor as an event planner, you know I love to host parties and plan them!
Hey Abbey! I really enjoyed reading your biography! I love how you always knew you wanted to teach and sought out the different opportunities to continue to grow your passion for education. My question is what sort of Netflix documentaries do you like to watch? I love Netflix as well and I am always looking for new shows to watch.
Hey Allison! My favorite one so far is called Half the Sky. It is so amazing and I recommend everyone to watch it. I also like documentaries about major world events.
Hello! I love that you have such a passion for what you do. My question is what types of things do you enjoy cooking? I also enjoy cooking but I'm mostly a baker because I love sweets so much!
Shamiah I wish I could bake! I am actually a vegetarian so I really like to make my meals look colorful with vegetables even if I don't like them. For example I will sautee tomatoes and purple onions in my cauliflower but I really don't like tomatoes at all and I am not the biggest fan of onions but they add flavor!
Hi Abbey! You said in your bio that you knew you didn't want to be an elementary school teacher. Since we'll be certified in middle and high school education, what would be your ideal age group to work with?
Hey Kayleigh! Well I have always loved american lit so I would like to teach whatever grade that is in high school, in mine it was 11th. I also would like to teach seniors to better prepare them for college.
You have a lot of community service experience, do you think you will encourage your students to seek those opportunities? I understand about feeling dumb about BSP, but it really was one of the best experiences in life.
I will definitely encourage my students to do any type of community service they are interested in but I will not force it because I want them to do something good for the right reason not because they have to. I think being forced to do community service takes the joy out of it.
Abbey, loved reading your bio! You said that it really gets you down when students have no interest in learning, what are some ways that you have used in the past, maybe with YES!, to get students involved?
I got to know my students really well so that helped. I tailored to their interest. A lot of times I walk in the first day and ask them to write down what they think they are good at, what they like to do in their free time and what their favorite snacks are. I used to bring in my laptop and let them pick TED talks and it lets me see what they are interested in. I also really try to get them to use their imagination, for example one time I brought I used the projector and put up a family photo I found on the internet and asked them to tell me about everything in the picture. There are a lot of different things I have tried but those seem to be my most memorable.
Hi, Abbey! I know other people have asked this question, but it's almost the only one I can think of after reading your bio. Have you ever thought about teaching students who at first don't seem inspired to learn on their own? You could be their inspiration to look at the world around them and think of all of it as a place to learn about, and not just be tested over! Freedom Writers is a great movie that's an example of this!
I love freedom writers and it actually further more inspired me to be a teacher. As far as your question goes I used to think that being an inspirational teacher would be easy and that kids want to learn but my past few years at Baldwin have really turned me sour about the whole thing. I don't want to work with kids who have no desire to learn because it is draining and exhausting to me. I know not every student wants to learn and I am totally okay with that but there are children in other countries who beg to be taught and I would rather spend my time with them. I am sure there are students here in america who would want the same thing but they are harder to find. I know I sound kind of harsh and my experience as a tutor was so much different than my experience as a teacher will be so I really do hope to change my mind about the students here.
I would love to start in Spain, mainly because I feel more comfortable there but I eventually want to go to Thailand or Vietnam for a year and then go back to more European countries.
Abbey, I’m very jealous of your time abroad. Can’t wait to bug you about it along with teaching abroad, I hope to do the same (but I don’t know much about it just yet). I also tutored, but only for a short time I’m afraid (timing issues), earlier this year. I felt great after one session, and terrible the next when I couldn’t get through to a young kid, or when they just felt hopeless. What would you say you learned in your time spent getting through to those kids who felt as if they were “stupid” or never going to make it? That was my biggest struggle, and I often felt just as helpless as they did as someone trying to teach them two hours a week.
That is an awesome question! I am not sure if you got to tutor one on one or not but if you did you are SO lucky. I know a lot of my kids feel "stupid" but they would never tell me, I see it in them, I see that when they get a bad grade on a test they shove it in their book bag and say "man fuck that bitch" and go right back to playing cards or talking to the person next to them. When I see that I always snap at them and say hey guess what its not the teachers fault it's yours so lets figure out a way to fix it. And then I go over the test with them the next day after they are not so heated. I also pull them out in the hall and ask why they thought they did bad, what they didn't understand and if they tried their hardest. I also ask them what they want to do when they grow up and a lot of times I get "I don't know man" or "I just wanna make that money" then I tell them how important it is that they try and that going to the teacher actually helps even if you think they don't like them. When I can't get through to my kids with their homework (usually math) I send them to another tutor because a lot of times I confuse them more since I don't understand it myself. I have learned that saying "It's okay, do you know how many test or papers I have failed" kind of helps because 1. they laugh and 2. they see me as a college student and know it is okay as long as they don't become repeat offenders.
Well, I can't say that because I never failed anything, ever ... kidding of course. Yes, it's frustrating. My biggest frustration is the blank stare when they are nodding their heads and are either throroughly confused, or too ashamed to ask for help. Or just in neverland, which is understandable. I tutored after school hours, so I think all they wanted to do was get the h*ll away from all this education stuff. I did find however, the young girls were the best (in very small groups) at sort of telling the boys what's what (if they shared a class).
I really enjoyed reading your biography and I'm amazed at your passion and accomplishments in education. I found it hilarious that I had Mr. Finley in high school as my current issues teacher. He is some character but a great guy. I know my question should be education related but does he still carry around that chopstick he had turned into a pencil? Lol
I tutored with the YES program last semester as well and I plan to work there next year, very excited! Emily Alvey is in charge of the program now I believe, and the application is on the BHS website. Emily's email is emily.alvey@gcsu.edu
Hey Abbey, I really enjoyed getting to know more about you! I can tell that you've really dedicated yourself to becoming an educator and I think that your enthusiasm is incredible and admirable. I was never very involved with activities outside of school, honestly, and I kind of regret it now. How did being so involved during your school years affect your education? And, as a teacher, would you encourage your students to be so involved?
I am not sure if you mean high school or college so I will touch on both ha. And I absolutely will encourage my students to be part of organizations and clubs or even start their own. In high school cheerleading and clubs helped me with time management. It definitely help coming to college already knowing time management skills and even though I still procrastinate I do it because of two reasons 1. I work better under pressure and I know I will always finish my assignment and 2. because I believe in having fun and doing stuff that pleases me so I can afford to take the two hours to chat with a friend or read an enjoyable book rather than do an assignment right away. I also know that if I am not happy with myself I will put zero effort into my work. Getting back to your question, both in college and high school being part of extracurricular activities forced me to hang out and bond with people I usually wouldn't have and I am forever grateful for the connections and relationships I have made with people in my clubs.
Hey Abbey! You mentioned that you might want to go into the administrative side and be a principal. I had went to many different schools growing up and had the privilege to be in schools that had great, personable principals who made it their mission to know every single kid, and have principals who were more focused on other issues such as funding or researching. What would you hope to achieve in such a role?
That is actually a really great question. I definitely want to know all of my students, whether on good terms or bad terms. My first day of classes as a bridge student I had my math teacher tell us that we were just a number to him and he would never learn our names. It broke my heart and terrified me for the rest of my classes. But on the other side I sometimes tend to think I am way more business sided because everyone in my family is involved with sales and I have grown up my whole life hearing them on conference calls or talking to clients. I chose not to go into business, especially sales because I saw how demanding the schedule was and although teaching is demanding as well, at least I will enjoy it.
Hey Abbey! You said you enjoy cooking, what are some of your favorite things to cook? I am a terrible cook so maybe you could give me some pointers sometime!
Camille I would love to! I am a vegetarian but I have only been one for a year so I can still teach you some recipes and the pointers work great for both! my favorite meal is probably roasted green beans with chopped almonds, drizzled with olive oil and i make a really good sour cream dipping base (sour cream, pepper, cumin, garlic and onion powder) and then I usually do a side salad with a killer homemade balsamic glaze (1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/2 of balsamic vinegar and two table spoons of Dijon mustard) and I always saute my fish (usually grouper or mahi with olive oil and a pack of grille mates seasoning)!
Hey Abbey, I enjoyed reading about your experience baby sitting and tutoring. It must have taken a lot of working with the student with apraxia. Do you think that you would like to teach students with special needs when you teach?
You seem to have the travel bug too. I've been looking at the DODEA as well, , but I'm not sold on it yet. What did you like the most about Paris?
I have no desire to teach students with special needs because I know that I would get depressed and ways to help them would consume my life, but also because I do not have the patients of a Saint and I think it is a big quality to have when working with special needs. I am not sold on it yet either but I am looking to find out more about it. My favorite part of Paris was getting to rome the streets. My roommate had actually just finished her study abroad program there so she took me to all the museums. I really loved just feeling like a local, walking around the streets with a bottle of wine, a baguette and cheese being able to plop down anywhere and eat was really fun. I also got to stay on Champs-Elysees which is a super popular street in Paris so I loved getting to see all the luxury stores around me.
You have had such wonderful opportunities in your life, and you are incredibly lucky. I am sure that all you have done will contribute greatly to your chosen career path in education.
ReplyDeleteMost of my questions have to do with the YES program that you were apart of. You mentioned that you were tutoring, but what exactly does a program like that entail? How do you think being apart of the YES program will shape you as a teacher in the future?
In the program I had my own classroom, so classroom management was a must. I was constantly writing reports on my students, writing passes for them to go get the help they needed if I couldn't do it and I always had to come up with things to teach them in case they didn't have homework that day in school. It was so draining to have to do it all by myself and have to figure it all out, I constantly worked with our ed coordinator on ideas to keep my students occupied.
DeleteHey, Abbey! I was in the YES! Program too! I know how challenging and rewarding it can be. One of my questions is, did you teach anything besides English at the YES! Program? The reason I ask this is because I know that there is such a huge demand for other subject tutors, especially Math tutors, in that program. Also, since your mom is from Wyoming and your dad is from Minnesota, what were typical meals for your family? I can relate to you a lot because although I grew up in the south for most of my life, my mom is from Wyoming and my dad is from Hawaii, so we got quite a mix of culture too! Not that I don't love my sweet tea and peaches!
ReplyDeleteI actually taught all subjects. I was in a world history class tutoring for about four months and this past semester I was in science. I had English my first year and I usually help kid's with simple math questions, nothing too complicated. And a typical meal growing up would be chicken, pork chop or steak grilled served with a canned vegetable, a carb and salad. Always had a carb haha, two if we didn't have salad on the side.
DeleteHey there pretty lady! Although I consider us pals already, it was nice to learn a little bit more about you. I always love hearing about Spain--and Baby Jack even though you didn't mention him in your bio. I am curious about your minor. I knew that you were doing something in business, but I did not know how it connected to your future. I remember you talking about wanting to be a school principal. Do you think that is something you will definitely pursue later on?
ReplyDeleteHey beaut, I do still plan on pursuing a job as an elementary principal but I don't know if I really want to go back to school! Go figure ha. I would also love to use my business admin minor as an event planner, you know I love to host parties and plan them!
DeleteHey Abbey! I really enjoyed reading your biography! I love how you always knew you wanted to teach and sought out the different opportunities to continue to grow your passion for education. My question is what sort of Netflix documentaries do you like to watch? I love Netflix as well and I am always looking for new shows to watch.
ReplyDeleteHey Allison! My favorite one so far is called Half the Sky. It is so amazing and I recommend everyone to watch it. I also like documentaries about major world events.
DeleteHello! I love that you have such a passion for what you do. My question is what types of things do you enjoy cooking? I also enjoy cooking but I'm mostly a baker because I love sweets so much!
ReplyDeleteShamiah I wish I could bake! I am actually a vegetarian so I really like to make my meals look colorful with vegetables even if I don't like them. For example I will sautee tomatoes and purple onions in my cauliflower but I really don't like tomatoes at all and I am not the biggest fan of onions but they add flavor!
DeleteHi Abbey! You said in your bio that you knew you didn't want to be an elementary school teacher. Since we'll be certified in middle and high school education, what would be your ideal age group to work with?
ReplyDeleteHey Kayleigh! Well I have always loved american lit so I would like to teach whatever grade that is in high school, in mine it was 11th. I also would like to teach seniors to better prepare them for college.
DeleteYou have a lot of community service experience, do you think you will encourage your students to seek those opportunities? I understand about feeling dumb about BSP, but it really was one of the best experiences in life.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely encourage my students to do any type of community service they are interested in but I will not force it because I want them to do something good for the right reason not because they have to. I think being forced to do community service takes the joy out of it.
DeleteAbbey, loved reading your bio! You said that it really gets you down when students have no interest in learning, what are some ways that you have used in the past, maybe with YES!, to get students involved?
ReplyDeleteI got to know my students really well so that helped. I tailored to their interest. A lot of times I walk in the first day and ask them to write down what they think they are good at, what they like to do in their free time and what their favorite snacks are. I used to bring in my laptop and let them pick TED talks and it lets me see what they are interested in. I also really try to get them to use their imagination, for example one time I brought I used the projector and put up a family photo I found on the internet and asked them to tell me about everything in the picture. There are a lot of different things I have tried but those seem to be my most memorable.
DeleteHi, Abbey! I know other people have asked this question, but it's almost the only one I can think of after reading your bio. Have you ever thought about teaching students who at first don't seem inspired to learn on their own? You could be their inspiration to look at the world around them and think of all of it as a place to learn about, and not just be tested over! Freedom Writers is a great movie that's an example of this!
ReplyDeleteI love freedom writers and it actually further more inspired me to be a teacher. As far as your question goes I used to think that being an inspirational teacher would be easy and that kids want to learn but my past few years at Baldwin have really turned me sour about the whole thing. I don't want to work with kids who have no desire to learn because it is draining and exhausting to me. I know not every student wants to learn and I am totally okay with that but there are children in other countries who beg to be taught and I would rather spend my time with them. I am sure there are students here in america who would want the same thing but they are harder to find. I know I sound kind of harsh and my experience as a tutor was so much different than my experience as a teacher will be so I really do hope to change my mind about the students here.
DeleteHi, Abbey! I think it's awesome that you want to teach abroad next summer. Is there a particular country that you want to teach in?
ReplyDeleteI would love to start in Spain, mainly because I feel more comfortable there but I eventually want to go to Thailand or Vietnam for a year and then go back to more European countries.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbbey, I’m very jealous of your time abroad. Can’t wait to bug you about it along with teaching abroad, I hope to do the same (but I don’t know much about it just yet). I also tutored, but only for a short time I’m afraid (timing issues), earlier this year. I felt great after one session, and terrible the next when I couldn’t get through to a young kid, or when they just felt hopeless. What would you say you learned in your time spent getting through to those kids who felt as if they were “stupid” or never going to make it? That was my biggest struggle, and I often felt just as helpless as they did as someone trying to teach them two hours a week.
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome question! I am not sure if you got to tutor one on one or not but if you did you are SO lucky. I know a lot of my kids feel "stupid" but they would never tell me, I see it in them, I see that when they get a bad grade on a test they shove it in their book bag and say "man fuck that bitch" and go right back to playing cards or talking to the person next to them. When I see that I always snap at them and say hey guess what its not the teachers fault it's yours so lets figure out a way to fix it. And then I go over the test with them the next day after they are not so heated. I also pull them out in the hall and ask why they thought they did bad, what they didn't understand and if they tried their hardest. I also ask them what they want to do when they grow up and a lot of times I get "I don't know man" or "I just wanna make that money" then I tell them how important it is that they try and that going to the teacher actually helps even if you think they don't like them. When I can't get through to my kids with their homework (usually math) I send them to another tutor because a lot of times I confuse them more since I don't understand it myself. I have learned that saying "It's okay, do you know how many test or papers I have failed" kind of helps because 1. they laugh and 2. they see me as a college student and know it is okay as long as they don't become repeat offenders.
DeleteWell, I can't say that because I never failed anything, ever ... kidding of course. Yes, it's frustrating. My biggest frustration is the blank stare when they are nodding their heads and are either throroughly confused, or too ashamed to ask for help. Or just in neverland, which is understandable. I tutored after school hours, so I think all they wanted to do was get the h*ll away from all this education stuff. I did find however, the young girls were the best (in very small groups) at sort of telling the boys what's what (if they shared a class).
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your biography and I'm amazed at your passion and accomplishments in education. I found it hilarious that I had Mr. Finley in high school as my current issues teacher. He is some character but a great guy. I know my question should be education related but does he still carry around that chopstick he had turned into a pencil? Lol
ReplyDeleteI also thought about becoming a YES tutor as well, who be be a good person to connect with about applying to the program?
DeleteI tutored with the YES program last semester as well and I plan to work there next year, very excited! Emily Alvey is in charge of the program now I believe, and the application is on the BHS website. Emily's email is emily.alvey@gcsu.edu
DeleteHe sure does!! He said it saved his life and he would tell us the story of how but he never did! So if you know that story please tell me!
DeleteHey Abbey, I really enjoyed getting to know more about you! I can tell that you've really dedicated yourself to becoming an educator and I think that your enthusiasm is incredible and admirable. I was never very involved with activities outside of school, honestly, and I kind of regret it now. How did being so involved during your school years affect your education? And, as a teacher, would you encourage your students to be so involved?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if you mean high school or college so I will touch on both ha. And I absolutely will encourage my students to be part of organizations and clubs or even start their own. In high school cheerleading and clubs helped me with time management. It definitely help coming to college already knowing time management skills and even though I still procrastinate I do it because of two reasons 1. I work better under pressure and I know I will always finish my assignment and 2. because I believe in having fun and doing stuff that pleases me so I can afford to take the two hours to chat with a friend or read an enjoyable book rather than do an assignment right away. I also know that if I am not happy with myself I will put zero effort into my work. Getting back to your question, both in college and high school being part of extracurricular activities forced me to hang out and bond with people I usually wouldn't have and I am forever grateful for the connections and relationships I have made with people in my clubs.
DeleteHey Abbey! You mentioned that you might want to go into the administrative side and be a principal. I had went to many different schools growing up and had the privilege to be in schools that had great, personable principals who made it their mission to know every single kid, and have principals who were more focused on other issues such as funding or researching. What would you hope to achieve in such a role?
ReplyDeleteThat is actually a really great question. I definitely want to know all of my students, whether on good terms or bad terms. My first day of classes as a bridge student I had my math teacher tell us that we were just a number to him and he would never learn our names. It broke my heart and terrified me for the rest of my classes. But on the other side I sometimes tend to think I am way more business sided because everyone in my family is involved with sales and I have grown up my whole life hearing them on conference calls or talking to clients. I chose not to go into business, especially sales because I saw how demanding the schedule was and although teaching is demanding as well, at least I will enjoy it.
DeleteHey Abbey! You said you enjoy cooking, what are some of your favorite things to cook? I am a terrible cook so maybe you could give me some pointers sometime!
ReplyDeleteCamille I would love to! I am a vegetarian but I have only been one for a year so I can still teach you some recipes and the pointers work great for both!
Deletemy favorite meal is probably roasted green beans with chopped almonds, drizzled with olive oil and i make a really good sour cream dipping base (sour cream, pepper, cumin, garlic and onion powder) and then I usually do a side salad with a killer homemade balsamic glaze (1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/2 of balsamic vinegar and two table spoons of Dijon mustard) and I always saute my fish (usually grouper or mahi with olive oil and a pack of grille mates seasoning)!
Hey Abbey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your experience baby sitting and tutoring. It must have taken a lot of working with the student with apraxia. Do you think that you would like to teach students with special needs when you teach?
You seem to have the travel bug too. I've been looking at the DODEA as well, , but I'm not sold on it yet. What did you like the most about Paris?
I have no desire to teach students with special needs because I know that I would get depressed and ways to help them would consume my life, but also because I do not have the patients of a Saint and I think it is a big quality to have when working with special needs.
ReplyDeleteI am not sold on it yet either but I am looking to find out more about it. My favorite part of Paris was getting to rome the streets. My roommate had actually just finished her study abroad program there so she took me to all the museums. I really loved just feeling like a local, walking around the streets with a bottle of wine, a baguette and cheese being able to plop down anywhere and eat was really fun. I also got to stay on Champs-Elysees which is a super popular street in Paris so I loved getting to see all the luxury stores around me.